Southampton

Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England, 70 miles southwest of London and 15 miles northwest of Portsmouth. In 70 AD, the Roman Army established the fortress settlement of Clausentum at the site of the present-day city, and it served as a trading port and a fortress protesting Winchester. It was abandoned in 410, and the Anglo-Saxons went on to form a larger settlement known as "Hamwic", eventually evolving into "Hampton" (meaning "hometown"); Hampshire is named for Hampton. Viking raids from 840 onwards caused the decline of Hamwic during the 9th century, but, during the 10th century, a fortified settlement known as "Southampton" was established. Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Southampton became a major English Channel port, and, in 1338, the town was sacked by a French, Genoese, and Monegasque fleet during the Hundred Years' War, while, ten years later, the Black Death reached England through the port. In 1415, at the Red Lion pub, King Henry V quelled the "Southampton Plot" to assassinate him before he could depart for France. In 1620, the Mayflower left Southampton for the New World, leading to the foundation of the Virginia colony. Southampton became a spa town in 1740 and a sea bathing town during the 1760s, and it experienced major expansion during the Victorian era. Southampton became a port of embarkation for several British wars, and it also became a center for cruise ships. In 2018, Southampton had 269,781 residents, with 855,569 living in the urban area and 1,547,000 living in the metro area; 85.9% were white, 8.4% Asian, 2.2% black, 1.2% other, and 2.4% mixed.